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He passed out and crashed, spending eight days in
the hospital with a cracked vertebra.
"It makes you wonder while you're sitting in the
hospital if it's worth it," he says. "But I was back up
in the air within a month."
In addition to skirting the treetops, Mr. Arnold
sometimes has to go to the edge of air -safety regula-
tions to get the job done. His serious crash drew him
13 citations from the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion, including one for flying. too low, an
unavoidable violation, he points out, in the course of
a crash landing. (He was fined only $400.)
On another occasion, Mr. Arnold heard from the
FAA after delivering an injured snowmobiler to the
hospital in the dark, something that the FAA frowns
upon when pilots, like Mr. Arnold, don't have lan-
ding lights and don't fly by instruments. (Mr. Arnold
wasn't cited after directing the FAA's queries to the
man whose life he saved.) Mr. Arnold ordinarily
confines his flying to visible conditions, navigating
by his knowledge of the mountains and valleys, in-
stalling skis for winter landings and spending the
night with a customer when bad weather suddenly
rolls in.
Fog, in fact, delayed the beginning of Mr.
Arnold's deliveries this morning, so he declines an in-
vitation for coffee from the folks at Big Creek Ranch
and heads back to altitude. He stretches his arm
around a cargo of two-by-fours in the front seat the
way a high-school boy drives with his date.
Within 10 minutes, Cook Ranch comes into sight.
Melting snow has made a quagmire of the runway, so
Mr. Arnold won't risk a landing. "There's a dif-
ference between landing an airplane and landing to
survive, " he explains. So he dives toward a one -acre
clearing behind the ranch house to deliver the mail
bombardier style. Barely 500 feet from the ground
, (which is as close to crashing; as the FAA permits) he
calmly says "ready...now!" to a passenger, who
releases the orange nylon mailbag from a window.
Mr. Arnold pulls back on his flap -control yoke,
reverses his descent and heads for the clouds as the
sack makes a perfect strike.
"I used to circle around and make sure they got
' it," he says. "But after a while I figured there ain't
nothin' I can do, so why hang around and waste
time?"
The most hair-raising landing of the day comes up
next, at Allison Ranch. This runway begins at the
edge of a 150-foot cliff. Pine trees lie at the far end of
the 1,000-foot clearing. Pine trees also line both sides
of the runway, which is about 200 feet wide. Mules
and horses amble unrestrained at the edge of the
strip. "Wild animals get out of the way," Mr. Ar-
nold says. "Domestic animals just sit there."
Mr. Arnold descends into the top of the river
valley, flying at a right angle to the landing strip.
Then, as it approaches, he banks so steeply that the
River of No Return comes into view through the side
window. He straightens up as the landing strip ap-
pears under the plane.
Michael Scheid is waiting on a John Deere tractor.
"You're awful good to me, you know?" he says, in-
specting a box of milk, bread, eggs and other staples
that Mr. Arnold has delivered with the mail.
Several stops late, Mr. Arnold unloads the two-by-
fours and takes time for tea, cookies and gossip at
the Yellow Pine Bar with Newt and his wife, Sharon.
Newt likes the isolation of the mountains. He hasn't
ventured near a city in four years and he never uses a
last name. (His mail arrives addressed to "Newt.")
On the takeoff, a darting mule deer narrowly misses
getting hit by Mr. Arnold's propeller.
Ms. Zaunmiller-Wisner, who has lived in these
mountains 44 years, is waiting at the next stop with
her German shepherd, her sled and her black rubber
boots with a designer label. The landing strip is only
700 feet long, an uncomfortably short distance in
which to stop a landing of about 70 miles an hour.
But this landing strip runs 17 degrees uphill, so brak-
ing isn't a problem.
At 4 p.m., back at his home base of Cascade
Airport --where a gravel runway gives him his easiest
landing of the day --Mr. Arnold loads some lumber
that he will later deliver to another customer. "On
the surface it looks like glamour," he says. "But
there's a lot of drudgery, like loading this lumber."
Mr. Arnold's kin are still at work working at the
airport. His wife, Carol, obtains the provisions that
Mr. Arnold delivers to his customers and keeps the
business's books. His 20-year-old son, Mike, is a cer-
tified aircraft mechanic who also services farm equip-
ment or anything else that comes along. Even his
15-year-old daughter, Ronda, puts in as many as 12
hours a day at a shortwave radio, which Mr. Arnold
operates (for fees) as the equivalent of a local
telephone exchange.
Although the mail deliveries and other services
make him indispensable, Mr. Arnold hasn't any
pretension. "I'm just doing a job that has to be
done," he demurs. "When I'm gone, there will be
someone else to take my place."
They keep the watch atop
Snowbank Mountain
By Mike Stewart
The Star -News
On a clear night, the lights atop Snowbank Moun-
tain are visible to many Long Valley residents. Those
lights mean Harold Williams or one. of his crew are
on the job.
Those who see the lights on the ridge west of
Cascade Reservoir may not be aware that the men
and machinery atop the mountain are a critical com-
ponent in the nation's aircraft tracking system.
The complex is a "high site" of the Federal Avia-
tion Administration. The remote radar facility is part
of a nationwide network that keeps track of
thousands of civilian and military aircraft that are in
the air at any given time.
Radar information and radio transmissions col-
lected on Snowbank Mountain are relayed to the
FAA's regional Salt Lake City Control Center, said
Williams, a Cascade resident.
Once shifted to Salt Lake City, the radar informa-
tion is displayed on a screen. Aircraft controllers can
then direct aircraft to different altitudes and
headings around other flights and bad weather to en-
sure safety, he said.
From this vantage point at 8,320 feet, the radar
keeps track of aircraft flying anywhere within 200
miles of the domed station.
The Snowbank site has been serving its mission
since it was activated in the spring of 1963 after being
built for about a half -million dollars. Williams said it
would cost about $4 million today just to replace
equipment.
Usually, two maintenance technicians are on duty
at the site at any given time, he said. But depending
on vacation schedules and illness, there may only be
one man on duty during one of the lonely 28-hour
shifts that last from noon one day to 4 p.m. the next.
While most of the daylight hours of the shift are
spent doing routine and corrective maintenance,
Williams said the technicians also are on call during
the eight hours they sleep on the mountain from 10
p.m. to 6 a.m.
Included in that long shift time is travel to the site
and back from the FAA office in Cascade, he said.
But to get up the six miles of mountain road could
take as many as four hours, or the time needed for an
FAA road crew to get the road opened in time for the
noon shuttle, Williams said.
Maintaining the road is a costly business, he said.
About $80,000 a year is spent on maintenance and
snowplowing from a turn-off near the Cabarton
Bridge to the top of the mountain, Williams said.
Included in that sum are salaries, equipment
maintenance costs and depreciation of the two
$200,000 rotary snow plows the FAA keeps garaged
about halfway up the mountain road for its exclusive
use.
The road was built by the FAA, and is closed to
unauthorized traffic between Nov. 15 and May 31.
Williams said the reason for the closure is because of
the danger of head-on collisions. High snowbanks
and a narrow road leave little room for error, he said.
While the expense of maintaining the road is high,
Williams said the methods used now to keep the road
open are far superior to what was used in the early
1960s when operations began.
The most serious incident occurred in 1964, when
an avalanche near the summit of the mountain buried
a truck and snowplow, killing the driver.
To reduce avalanche danger now, Williams and his
crew use explosives on occasion to trigger a harmless
slide.
During the winter of 1963-64, a crew was snowed
in at the site for 14 days, he said. As a matter of
policy, 30 days worth of food was kept at the site
during those days, he said.
Such supplies are no longer necessary. Even on the
worst of days, a snow tractor -- also kept garaged
along the road -- can make the trip, although it's a
time-consuming way to get to work.
Once at work, the technicians run their required
checks on the radar and radio systems. Williams said
Besides that, there is television, which Williams
said they can pick up pretty well from atop the moun-
tain. "On a clear day, you can see the transmitter
towers in Boise," he said.
While the site has seen many changes since it was
built, there are more in store. A complete transition
to solid state equipment by the year 1995 is a goal
that may ultimately preclude having to have
maintenance men at the site around the clock.
If the conversion occurs, the road may no longer
be needed. Currently under study are plans to build a
tramway to the mountain top, a move that would
probably be economical if only occasional trips to the
site would be needed, he said.
Then, the four -bedroom concrete block house that
sits connected to the main equipment building via a
hallway/tunnel would probably go the way of other
government surplus -- sold to the highest bidder.
And men like Randall and Williams would no
longer maintain their vigil near the top of the world.
every major system in use has a back-up so "down
time" is usually negligible if a problem surfaces.
The technicians who work atop Snowbank Moun-
tain must be certified, a process he said takes about
four years. However, once certified, a technician is
able to repair practically anything at the site.
Williams, who learned radar maintenance courtesy
of the U.S. Air Force, said he's got about 32 years ex-
perience in the field, and the other crew members
have at least 20 years experience.
About the only piece of equipment at the site that
isn't maintained by Williams' crew is the actual radar
dish itself.
Dave Randall checks equipment during 28-hour shift. Called the "sail," the dish fills a fiberglass dome
55 feet in diameter and is on a three-year
maintenance schedule, Williams said.
Every three years, a crew from Oklahoma City
shows up, jacks the pedestal to which the sail is at-
tached off its base, and cleans and lubricates where
needed.
While the job of technician demands a lot of time
away from home, there are rewards. One of the
technicians, Dave Randall of Eagle, said he gave up a
job in the management end of FAA to get back to
what he liked doing best -- working with electronics.
"I love it. I was in management and I'd much
rather be in the technical work," Randall said. "I
don't particularly care to spend the time away from
home. But, you can't ask for a prettier place to
work."
While most of their time is spent working on the
equipment, Randall said they do have a few diver-
sions. One is feeding three foxes who show up at the
site regularly to receive table scraps.
FAA facility on Snowbank Mountain keeps track of military and private aircraft.
PAGE 16 THE STAR NEWS - THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 1991
Back country pilots
get the mail through
BY BEVERLY INGRAHAM
For The Star -News
The mail always gets through to
remote locations in the back coun-
try, thanks to the dedicated souls
who have flown letters and packages
by airplane for the last half -century.
In the mid-1930s, Johnson Fly-
ing Service, based in Montana, con-
tracted to deliver mail from Cascade
to Big Creek and Warren in the win-
ter. It also flew supplies to Mackay
Bar on the Salmon River, the only
airfield on the river at that time.
Cabin Creek and the caretaker at
Deadwood Reservoir were on the
route on a limited basis.
In 1945, Johnson moved its op-
eration to McCall, where Bob Fogg
took over as manager and pilot. His
wife, Margaret, helped with the of-
fice work.
Sometime before 1954, the mail
route was extended to the U.S. For-
est Service ranger stations at Old
Meadows and Chamberlain in the
summers only. In 1958, six more
mail stops were included, all of
which were ranches on the Salmon
River and included Crofoot Ranch,
Campbells Ferry, Whitewater, Alli-
son Ranch, Shepp Ranch and James
Ranch.
Up until then, people living at
these remote ranches traveled to
Dixie or Elk City by packstring or
on snowshoes to get their mail.
This was at least a two-day trip in
the summer and longer in the win-
ter.
Different types of airplanes were
flown on the mail routes including a
Travel Air 6000, Twin Beech and a
DC-3. Later, Bob Fogg flew a Piper
Super Cruiser. These planes carved
all kinds of other cargo besides the
sacks of mail. Along with a passen-
ger or two, groceries, generator parts
and other supplies were commonly
carried. The maximum weight a
plane could carry was usually 350 to
400 pounds.
Canyon flying into the Salmon
River ranches was tricky and re -
FOOTNOTE S
To History
quired pilots with excellent moun-
tain flying abilities. The airfields
were small and seldom flat. For in-
stance, Campbell Ferry's field had a
17 percent slope. Besides the windy
conditions often present in the
canyons, one of the greatest hazards
on the backcountry fields was the
presence of animals on the runways.
Pilots had to be on the lookout for
horses, dogs, elk or other animals
that might be in the path of an air-
plane trying to land or take off.
Some of the Johnson Flying
Service pilots who made regular fly-
ing trips on McCall's "Star" mail
route were Bob Fogg, Bill Dorris,
Jim Larkin, Bob Franklin, John
Slingerland and Phil Remaklus.
They flew the mail routes once a
week in the summer and every two
weeks in the winter - weather per-
mitting.
Johnson flew the mail route until
1975, when the contract went to
Arnold Aviation of Cascade. Arnold
still flies the mail to Idaho's back
country.
(Beverly Ingraham is a
Long Valley resident who
has extensive experience in
historical research and
preservation.)
sir' SAY /)/e' //7/95
cCall Navy o
flier likes his work k
Y CHERIE A. BEATTY
or The Star -News
Sean Wall wasn't home for
hanksgiving or Christmas, and it
s unlikely he will be home for St.
alentine's Day.
Missing the traditional family
olidays is part of what Wall decided
ould be part of his world when he
aded a more traditional career for
he cockpit of the Navy's F-14
omcat.
Wall, 25, is the son of John and
usan Wall of McCall. He is as-
igned to Fighter Squadron (VF) 14
nd is now deployed to the Mediter-
anean Sea as part of the aircraft car-
ier Kennedy's battle group.
A lieutenant, Wall says he was
lways interested in flying, but
wasn't sure that naval aviation
would be for him because his aca-
lemic skills in math and science
were not strong. Instead, he concen-
rated on first things first and the
•est seemed to fall into place.
"After I graduated from McCall -
Donnelly High School, I went to
he University of Idaho at Moscow
Ind got into the ROTC program
here. My primary focus was to
learn to be a good naval officer first.
When I was selected for aviation,
that was a bonus."
A radar intercept officer, Wall has
been trained to handle the navigation
and communication equipment
aboard the Tomcat and to control the
fighter's weapons system.
"People always ask me what it's
like to fly," he said. "It's surprising,
but there is no sense of speed when
we're flying. Still there's a certain
sense of thrill in hanging upside
down in the air and going in loops.
The highest speed roller coaster ride
pales in comparison."
The aerobatic maneuvers he de-
scribes as "thrilling" are not done
for fun but to practice as part of the
deadly ballet that is aerial air-to-air
combat, he said. During the Gulf
War, the vintage F-14 demonstrated
that it could still control the skies
when manned by highly trained
crews.
"The whole idea of combat flying
is frightening," Wall said. "It's in-
teresting to me that although you're
afraid, you are also confident that
you're well trainers and rearsv if war
comes."
While deployed, the men of VF-
14 will fly missions each day. Each
mission is approached with the
same seriousness as if combat were
likely. In addition to projecting
power, routine deployments also al-
low the Navy to practice the skills
and coordinated activities that are re-
quired during wartime operations.
The 10,000 person Kennedy bat-
tle group was the first to deploy fol-
lowing the issuance of the Navy's
white paper, "From the Sea," which
outlines the new strategy for the sea
service as it restructures to meet the
demands of the changing world
scene.
If the laws are changed to allow
military women an active role in
combat, Wall may see another
change as female pilots report to
carrier -based squadrons.
"I wouldn't mind at all if my
wing 'man' was a woman," said
Wall. "When we've got our oxygen
masks on and our visors down, we
aren't men or women, we're pilots
U.S. Navy Photo by PH1 (AW) Timothy Woc
Navy Lt. Sean Wall stands by a VF-14 fighter.
and navigators."
Wall believes that there are some
attributes that mark successful
fighter aviators. "You have to be
self-confident, dedicated and willing
to take it on the chin now and
again. You have to be able to take
constructive criticism because there
are no second chances in carrier avia-
tion," he said.
Wall says that there are some
disadvantages to his chosen profes-
sion, but notes that the drawbacks
are shared by anyone who joins the
Navy. "Being deployed for six
months and being separated from
your family is hard," said Wall, who
is married to the former Melissa S.
McMichael, a certified public ac-
countant.
Wall hopes to make the Navy a
career. He acknowledges that the
military is going to go through
some changes, but he feels that he's
the sort of person that can help the
Navy make the transition from Cold
Warriors to whatever lies over the
horizon.
Tie Advocale Mai ta, t1'93
Volunteers sought
for maintenance on
remote airstrips
Pilots! You are invited to as-
sist in the maintenance of a re-
mote airstrip on the Payette Na-
tional Forest. The volunteer pro-
gram is a very successful, fun
event. In 1991 over 600 hours
were donated.
Maintenance includes run-
way smoothing, removal of
small trees, rocks, brush, instal-
lation of water diversions,
smoothing rodent holes, and
work on adjacent camping areas.
The Forest Service provides
all tools and supplies. Volunteers
should bring their own water,
lunch, light jacket, work gloves,
sunscreen, etc.
The 1993 work schedule is:
Soldier Bar - May 15th
Cabin creek - May 22nd _
Chamberlain Basin -
June 19th
Cold Meadows -
To be announced.
Soldier Bar airstrip is diffi-
cult to approach. Pilots must
have the flying skills necessary
to handle the challenge of Sol-
dier Bar. Please visit a central
Idaho fixed -wing base operator
if you have not used the airstrip
before.
Pilots should use comm.
122.9 for all pattern movements,
landings, and take -offs.
This effort provides an ex-
cellent opportunity for airstrip
users to exchange ideas and ex-
pectations of wilderness and
airstrip management.
For more information con-
tact Steve Uptegrove, Krassel
Ranger District, PO Box 1998,
McCall, Idaho 83638 or by call
208-634-0611.
stci h %Ve w s Jet .t,2, /Q9s
Rare 1929 Travel Air
6000 airplane once used
in the Idaho back country
returns home.
BY ROGER PHILLIPS
The Star -News
A piece of Idaho history arrived in McCall last
week when Mike Dorris flew a 1929 Travel Air
6000 airplane from a museum in Tennessee to the
McCall Airport.
Dorris, from Salmon, Jim Eldredge of McCall,
and Dick Waite from Twin Falls, purchased the
plane from Morton Lester, an aircraft collector in
Tennessee.
The three men, who are all pilots, were look-
ing for a "project plane," so Dorris wrote letters
to the Federal Aviation Administration seeking
out several types of vintage aircraft that were
once common in the Idaho back country.
"We found this in a museum and decided we
had to have it," Dorris said. "It wasn't for sale, but
we heard about it and decided to make an offer."
The Travel Air is the first aircraft Lester ever
sold, Dorris said. He decided to sell it to the three
men because they are from Idaho, and they were
interested in the plane for its historic value. He
felt the plane would be more . appreciated in
Idaho.
But it wasn't until after signing the final pa-
perwork to purchase the aircraft that the men
realized this particular plane had served most of
its working life in Idaho.
Bill Dorris, front, Pat Dorris, left, Mike and
Katie Dorris and Jim Eldredge show the
Travel Air 6000, a 1929 airplane that they
recently purchased in Tennessee.
The aircraft was owned by Bradley Mining
Company, which operated the Stibnite Mine near
Yellow Pine, until 194-3 Then it was purchased
by a Boise flying cylmpan , where it was used
until 1958. /� 5
After that, it was then purchased by Johnson's
Flying Service in McCall and flown by Johnson's
pilots until 1965, when it was restored and later
sold.
"We had no idea this had Idaho history when
we bought it," Dorris said. "To find out it had
Idaho history was a plus, it was just fantastic."
Dorris said the Travel Air was instrumental in
pioneering backcountry aviation. Many' of the
airstrips located in the backcountry were flat
spots (relatively speaking) used by Travel Air
pilots for landings and take -offs that eventually
were converted to formal airstrips.
The Travel Airs were also the first airplane to
carry smokejumpers out of McCall, and they
remained in use as smokejumper planes until the
early 1960s.
Photo by Roger Phillips
Del Catlin of McCall jumped on many fires
from Travel Airs during his 30-year
smokejumping career, which spanned from 1947
to 1977.
"It was an exceptional jump plane. It flew
slow and stable and it was very safe," Catlin said.
"I'm sure they are going to get a lot of good out
of it in the backcountry. It's a dandy backcountry
plane."
The seven -seat plane, which is older than all
three of its owners, is constructed of metal tubing
and balsa wood covered by a fabric skin. It is
powered by a nine -cylinder, supercharged 440
horsepower engine.
The plane has approximately 4,800 total fly-
ing hours, but only 120 hours on the rebuilt
engine, and it has been fully restored to near -
original condition.
Dorris said they literally wheeled it out of the
museum and flew it back to Idaho, a trip that took
3-1/2 days and 19 hours of air time.
He said they are considering using the plane to
haul passengers, but due to its age, there a various
legal and insurance hurdles to overcome.
Regardless of whether it hauls paying passen-
gers, Dorris said they will still "play around with
it," and fly it to air shows and fly -ins to promote
McCall Air Taxi, the family's flying service.
/a' mai/
1911 Aviatithil Week drew mixed reviews
The firs
airprie flight in Idaho was by Walter Brookins on April 19, 1911.
4,
"Brookins flew. He de4
monstrated to the absolute satis-I
faction of some 200- people who;
watched him at the fairgroundq
about 5 o'clock in the afternoon
that flying is not a dream, but a
reality ... " With these words till
Idaho Statesman reported the firsf
airplane flight in Idaho. '
A severe storm had postponed
the much -publicized aviation mee
at Boise's fairgrounds from April
19,1911 until the next day, but flyer
Walter Brookins actually made
Idaho's first flight on the dark,
cloudy and windy afternoon of the
19th Vilth'only a handful of peop)e
watching. He circled the racetrack
five times "in the teeth of a blQ'w
m adunting to a'paje," reported the
paper, obviously impressed that
the new fangled•; flying machine
could n vigate in what was es-
timated to be a 15-mile-per-hour
wind.
States
pared fo
anecdote
Charles
an readers had been pre -
trouble with wind by an
told the day before by
Willard. The "Dean of
Aviators " representing the Cur-
tiss tea in place of Eugene Ely,
tZ d re rters that it was neces-
sary to ostpone flights when the
wind got ottsevere.
He sai that the closest call he
ever ha was in Oklahoma when
Idaho
Yestterdays
5 By ' rthur Hart
"a big native," incensed that the
flying show he had .come to see
was called off, pulled a gun and
said "you might as well go up and
take your chances because if you
don't I'll kill you right here." Wil-
lard flew, but wrecked his plane
and was lucky to come out alive.
Brookins' flight (historic for
Idaho), much impressed the 200
people lucky enough to see it. "The
mere mortals below stood in silent
wonder as they watched him take
the different turns with an ease no
less than that of a huge bird," the
Statesman wrote.
Next day 3,000 people were on
hand to witness both Brookins and
Willard in action. "Rival Birds in
Daring Flights" read the ' front
page headline the morning after.
No detail of the day's excitement
was -too small to make the news.
Of special interest was a 30'minute
flight by Brookins to the Idaho Sol-'
diers Home on State Street to
make sure that the old veterans
could see their first airplane.
The crowds took special note of
the differences between the two
machines. The Wright plane had
two pusher engines and room for a
passenger. The smaller Curtiss
plane had one engine. Although
most agreed that the Wright plane
flown by Brookins was more ma-
neuverable and exciting to watch,
the Curtiss flown by Willard
seemed to go faster.
The second day of the meet,
April 21, drew a large crowd again.
Weather conditions were excel-
lent, and Brookins showed off his
acrobatic skill in a series of stunts
which kept spectators' "hearts in
their throats." A feature of this
day was a 15-mile race which
ended in a dead heat. ,
A third and previously unsche-
duled day was added to the meet,
with admission reduced to 50
cents. Although billed as an unself-
ish act of flyers, just to give all a
chance to see the planes in action,
the Statesman later called it "a lit-
tle fiasco," and said the small
- crowd which turned out was "tho-
rougly disgusted." Only Brookins
flew, and he made only two brief
flights at low altitide.
Calling it a "tame finish" to Avi-
ation Week in Boise, the States-
man turned its attention to the
start of the baseball season — a
tried-and-true entertainment after
all.
(Arthur Hart is director of the
Idaho Historical Society).
Aviation fever captured Boise in 1911
'Flight of elyd Men'
Aviation fever hit Boise for the
first time in April, 1911. An "avia-
tion meet" was scheduled to take
place at the Intermountain Fair-
grounds near the end of the month,
and The Statesman headlined the
announcement on April 3, "Flight
of Bird Men Here Assured."
Walter Brookins, representing
the Wright Brothers, and Eugene
Ely, who flews for Glen L. Curtiss,
signed contracts to bring their
planes to Boise for friendly compe-
tition and demonstrations designed
to thrill the natives. Both men
were pioneer daredevils who had
achieved national prominence for
flying flimsy "pusher" biplanes
only slightly larger than the one
Wilbur and Orville Wright first
flew at Kitty Hawk that historiC
day In 1903.
Reports from Salt Lake City, ar-
riving in Boise April.6, further
Stirred .local interest. Brookins,
Ely, Parmalee and Willard had put
on a show for newsmen at Saltair
resort to publicize an air meet
there billed as "air carnival." Eu-
gene Ely, it was noted, had re-
cently flown his Curtiss biplane
from the deck of a battleship in
San Francisco harbor.
"Devil Bikes to be Seen in Ac-
tion" was the headline on April 9,
as further events were lined up for
the Intermountain Aviation Meet
in Boise. Boise Motorcycle Club
had agreed to put on a "snappy
program" of motorcycle races be-
tween flights of the two-day meet.
x r Y b.
This Curtiss biplane was one of the first seen in Idaho
On April 12 Statesman readers
_ were treated to a two -column his-
tory of aviation from Icarus and
the ancients to the Boise meet.
Next day a new element was intro-
duced into the build-up when it was
announced that aviator Brookins
would pick someone from the audi-
ence for a free "visit to the
clouds."
Calling Brookins "the greatest of
ascensionists," The Statesman
said "possibly you may have some
desire to be the fortunate one .. .
Brookins, it was pointed out, was
best known for his mastery of "the
Spiral Dip" which had killed John-
stone at Denver in 1910.
On April 16 the manager of the
Curtiss team arrived. The States-
man reproduced a series of his
publicity photos of the planes and
their pilots. It also announced that
a special wire was being installed
at the fairgrounds to "Telegraph
Results of Aviation Meet to All
Parts of World." Boise could
hardly wait. Next week we shall
describe the great event.
(Mr. Hart is director of the Idaho
Historical Society.)
Idaho
Yesterdays
By Arthur Hart
"These races will be to establish
ri".°- - - -fir as Boise is con-
cerned," noted tyre report, with
"daring work expected."
Due to the rush for tickets, spe.
vial box seats were under con-
struction days before the expected
arrival of the famous flyers. The
Owyhee Hotel, newly openers, was
to accommodate the visitors, and
was "already the mecca of avia-
tion talk, according to The States-
man.
Frank Irving "at the wheel of
one of the speediest Buick racing
cars ever seen .in the northwest"
was now scheduled to race Waiter
Brookins in his Wright biplane "for
a side bet of $1,000, both parties to
post certified checks for this
amount." A year before, Irving
had set the local record at the fair-
grounds track by doing one mile in
54 seconds.
e k&hc_s/72-/-psi,r7all
1911 Aviation Week drew mixed reviews
The firs, airplane flight in Idaho was by Walter Brookins on April 19, 1911.
"Brookins flew. He dei
monstrated to the absolute satis-;
faction of some 200- people who;
watched him at the fairgrounds
about 5 o'clock in the afternoon
that flying is not a dream, but a
reality ... " With these words th9
Idaho Statesman reported the first
airplane flight in Idaho. '
A severe storm had postpones
the much -publicized aviation meet
at Boise's fairgrounds from April
19,1911 until the next day, but flygr
Walter Brookins actually made
Idaho's first flight on the dark,
cloudy and windy afternoon of the,
19th With only a handful of peopre
watching. He circled the racetrack
five times "in the teeth of a blgw
amdunting to a'gale,". reported the
paper; obviously impressed that j
the new-fangled•; flying, machinei
could n
timated
wind.
States
pared fob
anecdote
Charles
Aviators
tiss tean
tL,d reps
sary to 1
wind got
He sai
ever hac
vigate in what was es -
to be a 15-mile-per-hour
tan readers had been pre -
trouble with wind by an
told the day before by
?. Willard. The "Dean of
" representing the Cur -
in place of Eugene Ely,
rters that it was neces-
ostpone flights when the
oQ severe.
that the closest call he
i was in Oklahoma when
Idaho
Yestterdays
By ' rthur Hart
"a big native," incensed that the
flying, show he had , come to see
was called off, pulled a gun and
said "you might as well go up and
take your chances because if you
don't I'll kill you right here." Wil-
lard flew, but wrecked his plane
and was lucky to come out alive.
Brookins' flight (historic for
Idaho), much impressed the 200
people lucky enough to see it. "The
mere mortals below stood in silent
wonder as they watched him take
the different turns with an ease no
less than that of a huge bird," the
Statesman wrote.
Next day 3,000 people were on
hand to witness both Brookins and
Willard in action. "Rival Birds in
Daring Flights" read the ' front
page headline the morning after.
No detail of the day's excitement
was -too small to make the news.
Of special interest was a 30•minute
flight by Brookins to the Idaho Sol
aiers Home on State Street to
make sure that the old veterans
could see their first airplane.
The crowds took special note of
the differences between the two
machines. The Wright plane had
two pusher engines and room for a
passenger. The smaller Curtiss
plane had one engine. Although
most agreed that the Wright plane
flown by Brookins was more ma-
neuverable and exciting to watch,
the Curtiss flown by Willard
seemed to go faster.
The second day of the meet,
April 21, drew a large crowd again.
Weather conditions were excel-
lent, and Brookins showed off his
acrobatic skill in a series of stunts
which kept spectators' "hearts in
their throats." A feature of this
day was a 15-mile race which
ended in a dead heat.
A third and previously unsche-
duled day was added to the meet,
with admission reduced to 50
cents. Although billed as an unself-
ish act of flyers, just to give all a
chance to see the planes in action,
the Statesman later called it "a lit-
tle fiasco," and said the small
crowd which turned out was "tho-
rougly disgusted." Only Brookins
flew, and he made only two brief
flights at low altitide.
Calling it a "tame finish" to Avi-
ation Week in Boise, the States-
man turned its attention to the
start of the baseball season — a
tried-and-true entertainment after
all.
(Arthur Hart is director of the
Idaho Historical Society).
GAP / cL�f�o „g-a7LeS/MQH
ioneer
dah ,, AirmailVentureaom
v,r By now just about everybody
+mows that the first airmail flight
Nappened 50 years ago, and that
;Noise played a prominent part in
That historic event.
How many people recall a flight 10
ars earlier in Boise, also billed as
,ttie city's "first air mail?" Wall hap-
pened on July'3, 1916, at Boise's In-
•termouutain_ Fairgrounds, but every -
;thing did not work out as planned.
Young Ralph York, of the well-
Zcnown pioneer printing firm, de-
cided that the big air show at the
;fair would be an excellent time to
Ziromote the virtually unknown idea
f "airmail."
i World War I was raging in Europe,
,and although America would not be
An it until the following spring, there
th
AIRMAIL WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN DROPPED AT POST OFFICEIN 1916
... but two things went wrong on the planned flight from ctk the
in s rather than
minutes.
Pilot Boshek espaped injury, "mi-
raculously," according to The
Statesman reporter who witnessed
the crash. His plane was damaged
beyono repairing for the "Sensation-
al Airplane Battle in the Sky" next
clay,, however, and the crowd of 5,000
at the fairgrounds had to be content
persuaded to.fly .the "airmail" from with the spectacle of one airplane
cropping fireworks on National
the fairgrounds to the Boise Post Of- d Guardsmen firing back'With blanks.
fice at Eighth and Bannock, and In those days, "Battle in Air
Ralph York eagerly set out to print Thrills Crowd," read The Statesman
the postal cards that would make headline,.'and "Guardsmen Easily
the historic trip. He hoped to self lots 'Defeat' Birdman After Spectacular
of cards and make a tidy profit. Display of Shooting." The coopera-
Two things went wrong, however. `the.Williams landed his' plane "fig -
First, almost nobody .was enough im � urativel • bullet -riddled,"' allowed
_pressed with the airmail idea to buy J
was intense interest m e new the postcards, even though the cap-', himself to be captured and was pa-
:aerialthey"carried battles over' the. Western the post office and. mailed by one of , armed guard.
Front. the Aviators, establishing the first ' ' The rare airmail postal cards
The fair had scheduled "A Sensa- • Aeroplane Postal Service in Idaho." •Ralph York printed that summer of
'ional Aeroplane Battle in the .Sky" York never made expenses on his 1916 were sought avidly years after -
:as a feature of the grandstand show. printing venture. Second, the plane Ward: Sd far as we know, none have
of consisted of aviator O. E. "Bert" crashed when only a few feet off the survi` ed in Boise.
Williams attacking 100 men of the ground, scattering the postal cards
daho National _Guard, deployed in all over the field.
skirmish lines: (The Mexican Border Postmaster P. M. Davis very con -
incident, of 1916 led the promoters. to scientiously had' all of the cards r
'Last the aviator as a'"•'Mexican" pi- picked up, even those that had been
lot, and it' was naturally "in the ".shreddeQ by : the plane's propeller.
script"• for him to be shot down.) They Were Vasted together • and
Williams' young protege, Al Bosh -.mailed as promised, even though
oL •ha ci•,,,' flvrar of thr tPam.,was;.'thcir times •as "airmail". could be
Idahor
Yesterdays A;
By Arthur Hatt